Posts filed under ‘travel’
Prom Night at Idyllwild Arts Academy
by Julia Countryman
A day of fun and sun in the sand is hard to trump, but this year’s Senior Prom may have surpassed this year’s senior trip to Laguna Beach. With an evening filled with dining, dancing and music, the Senior Class of 2012 spent a Casino Night themed-evening at The Mission Inn in Riverside this past Sunday, May 6th.
Dining, dancing and electing the Prom Court were the events slated for the evening, but perhaps more importantly, the teens gathered together for what was a final ceremonious act as a class before each of the graduates embarks on their new futures. Graduating senior Jake Rakusin related his sentiments, “Prom was fun and exciting. Everybody looked amazing, and it was a great time to hang out with friends in a fun relaxed setting.” Gerard Minaya chimed in, “Prom was amazing! The scenery was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the vibe was great!”
Attendees voted for candidates to Prom Court, electing Chase Ingrande as King; Allison Leggett as Queen, Harald Beran as Prince, Maria “Isita” Martinez as Princess, and Jake Rakusin as Jester to preside over the evening.
Prom organizer Kevin Michael Sullivan, Associate Dean of Students, was very pleased with the event, “Prom was great this year. We owe a big thanks to our chaperones Becky B., Kevin, Angela, Lance, Maria, Marissa Siegal-Charles, Nick, and Phil. And special thanks to Becky B for setting up the voting for the prom court and working with the prom committee.”
IAA Jazz Combo Wins 1st Place at Berklee Jazz Festival
Idyllwild Arts Academy’s Jazz Combo won, for the second year in a row, won first place in the Jazz Combo division at the 2012 Berklee Jazz Festival. Additionally, senior Lake Jiroudek won first place in the outstanding musician combo division.
In the competition Paul Carman, jazz instructor, said, “We were limited to 18 minutes, one second over and we’re disqualified. I was conservative on the timing because I want the students to have control over the length of their solos. Most schools time it perfectly with set solo lengths but this is not how jazz goes in the real world.”
The students performed the three following songs:
1) Moments Notice by John Coltrane
2) Monks Mood by Thelonious Monk
3) Straight Up And Down by Chick Corea
The Festival competition is divided into divisions by school enrollment and there is also a category for specialized “arts” schools. Idyllwild Arts competed in the “arts school” category considered by many the highest level. Paul states, there “were 15 schools in our division. Seating is limited to about 50 audience members and is usually made up of a few parent/chaperones and a hand full of participating students and teachers from other schools. For our performance the room was packed with 70-80 people, standing room only, and others were turned away at the door. Apparently our reputation from last year filled the room with people wanting to hear the school that won last year. So the energy was very high, and the pressure was even higher for the kids, although playing for a packed room helped them to forget the judges.”
“Marshall and I were as proud as we could be. Even though we prepared them well it was up to them to handle the pressure and play great music” said Paul.
To hear a recording of the performance follow this link:
Creative Writing Students Attend AWP Conference
by Kim Henderson, Creative Writing Chair
Last week, Creative Writers Scarlett McCarthy, Maria Alvarado-Velasquez, and Becky Hirsch went to Chicago with Kim Henderson and Katherine Factor to attend the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference and book fair. AWP hosts one of the biggest writers’ conferences in the country, which typically features 400 presentations, including readings, lectures, panel discussions, receptions, and informal gatherings. More than 550 publishers are represented at the book fair.
Our students attended author panels on everything from creating a short story collection to writing Young Adult literature. They also gave a reading with students from the Chicago Academy for the Arts at the Palmer House hotel on Thursday night. The reading featured writer Seth Fried, author of The Great Frustration. Kim also read on Thursday night at The Southeast Review’s 30th anniversary party with Dinty W. Moore, Francine Witte, and Carol J. Clouse, while Katherine reconnected with old friends from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, getting the latest news on poetry. The students stayed with homestays from the Chicago Academy for the Arts for part of the trip, and also spread the word about Parallax Online to high school students and teachers—be on the lookout for new work!
The group was able to have lunch and a mini-tour of downtown Chicago with alum Madison Hartzog-Warren, who attends Columbia College Chicago. Our three days in Chicago were packed as we made new friends and reunited with old ones, found tons of new books and writers at the book fair, and kept ourselves entertained during coffee breaks with famous author sightings.
Going Green
by Alex Gandionco, 11th Grade
“Going green” – it’s a fairly large statement and even larger commitment to make. For a school to go green, it involves a lot of thinking, encouraging, perseverance, dedication, and curiosity.
Idyllwild Arts Academy is moving toward being a greener school and being part of the green schools movement that has caught fire throughout the United States. One of the first steps towards this movement was our participation in the Green Schools National Conference earlier this week in Denver, Colorado. I was fortunate enough to be chosen to go to this conference, together with three other students, Michelle McMillan (11th Grade), Katherine Kearns (11th Grade) and Devin Debowski (10th Grade). The four of us were initially interested in making the school more environmentally friendly and also making ourselves more aware of environmental issues, but nothing prepared us for what the Green Schools Conference had to offer, and the effect it would have on us.
After settling into our hotel rooms on Monday afternoon in Denver, we immediately started roaming the Exhibition Hall filled with organizations, companies, and products all contributing to making our world more sustainable. The four of us, were constantly on our toes, eager to find out more about certain ideas and products, and how we can apply it to our school. The conference consisted of ‘breakout sessions’ – small hour-long sessions and presentations focusing on a certain aspect of making your school greener. We all chose specific sessions that we were curious about, or that contributed to already-spurred ideas that we had. There were a number of well-renowned and fantastic speakers at the general session, including Majora Carter, the founder of Sustainable South Bronx, Philippe Cousteau, CEO of EarthEcho International, and Laura Turner Seydel, chairperson of the Captain Planet Foundation. These speakers hit home with us, and inspired us so intensely to really care about what is happening to our world, and that we are able to make a difference. We were fortunate enough to have met some of these influential people.
An important aspect of the conference was the relationships and connections we made. Our group was highly active in networking. We were always keen to make conversation with people we would run into who happened to be leaders of environmental organizations, teachers from other schools, or simply interesting people with innovating ideas. The exchange of business cards became second nature to us, as we jumped at opportunities to be able to stay in touch with people from all over the USA that may come in handy in the future. Relationships between our school and these people can be very valuable and useful, and we did not hesitate to build them with whomever we thought we could.
You could say we had a ‘special appeal’ to others, as artists. There is sort of an allure behind the idea of an arts boarding school in the mountains, and adults tend to find passionate and driven young artists very intriguing. We found that there was much curiosity behind how we would integrate eco-friendliness into our art forms and all of us were more than ready to present our ideas. With Michelle a dance major, Katherine majoring in film, Devin in Interdisciplinary Arts with a focus on interior design, and myself, a classical vocalist, there are many ways of incorporating the ideas gained at the conference into our art, and there is always a way to make our art more eco-friendly. As artists, thinking outside of the box is instilled into us, and this is very much essential in the process of creating projects to make our environment more sustainable.
Ideas for our school were constantly on our minds, and on the van ride back to school from Los Angeles International Airport one would think that four tired teenagers who just spent the last three days on their heels would be fast asleep. In reality, it was the contrary. The post-excitement of the conference was visible, as we spent the two and a half hour-long ride back home, discussing ideas that we had. Everyone was already looking forward to putting what we learned into action.
A special thanks inevitably goes towards our chaperone Shannon Jacobs, student life and leadership coordinator at Idyllwild Arts, who not only fully organized and put together the trip (needless to say, it could not have happened without her), but also dealt with four very excited teenagers successfully.
For me, personally, this conference enriched me in more ways than one. I have not only learned and been educated, I have been inspired and motivated to push for this movement like no other. The conference, in short, made me care. There is nothing like the feeling of wanting to go out and save this planet.
And how could you not want to? Idyllwild, California is beautiful and so rich in its nature and wildlife. As students that live here everyday, we can sometimes take its magnificence for granted, but we all must face the facts – if we do not act now towards becoming more eco-friendly, this may all be lost. I know that none of us could even begin to imagine what Idyllwild would be like without the abundance of the beauty it currently holds. For us, the idea of ‘environment’ and ‘nature’ is not distant or detached – we are living in it. And that is why we feel so strongly that this green movement is extremely important.
“Idyllwild Arts is going green”- yes, it is a large statement, but it is nothing short of possible. It is something that us four students, our leader Shannon Jacobs, together with the rest of Idyllwild Arts, are absolutely going to put in everything we have, to make happen.
English as a Second Language
My name is Jeni Kets, and I am the chair of the ESL Department, and I’ve been working with international students for the past four years at IAA.
The ESL Department is focused on several specific objectives in serving our students here at IAA. First, we work hard to help students reach their artistic and academic goals through the development of their English language skills. This is the key to their success in all facets of their lives here in the US. We facilitate this by providing as much opportunity for immersion in their classes and in the dorms as possible so that students will be able to write, think and speak in English. We seek to cultivate a sense of confidence and comfort with English, so that our students can thrive in American academic culture. Developing this confidence in English also helps students to integrate successfully into the wider student population here, which allows students to have a richer and more fulfilling experience.
Once they have developed their language skills, we look to mainstream students as soon as possible in order to give them the invaluable opportunity to work more closely with native speaking students and non-ESL academic faculty. In short, we strive to give our students as much opportunity to gain and polish the essential communication skills they need as students here and beyond.
Our most successful students are those who meet us halfway in our mission by seeking out opportunities to speak English outside of the classroom and to meet as many students as possible. These are individuals who break out of their shells and take what many of our students perceive as a risk in putting themselves out into the greater community in order to define who they are beyond the ESL label. I can tell you from experience that stepping out and speaking your second language to native speakers can be a nerve-wracking experience. Yet once they have, these students soon discover that American students are often just as shy about speaking to them. Breaking the ice is the toughest part, but it is incredibly rewarding.
This summer, we will be offering an ESL summer intensive for students who will be moving into intermediate and advanced levels in the fall. Students can earn one credit toward graduation, develop and polish their academic writing and vocabulary, as well as receive weekly TOEFL prep. We will also be offering fun weekly trips and activities to allow them to relax and have a little fun as well! This program is intended to help students meet the UC graduation requirements and lighten their academic load the following year.
The first set of students that I worked with back in 2007 when I was a new teacher here will graduate this June. It is hard to believe that those beginning students, many of whom were so shy and quiet, are now confident young men and women ready to attend universities and conservatories. I am proud of my students both past and present and hope that the ESL department at IAA has served them well in reaching their goals and realizing their dreams.
To learn more about the ESL Summer Intensive visit our website.
Michael Fuller, The Museum Classroom and Sara’s Updates from Europe
From: Sydney Cosselman
Krone Museum Director
A Note to Students
In the last museum Blog, I mentioned that Michael Fuller was on campus from time to time researching material for his book. He came back in November, as promised, and this time he posted a special message to you students. Here it is:
Perhaps you have seen the baldheaded old guy in the beret sitting in the library or at a table in the Max and Beatrice Krone Museum amidst scattered piles of papers, a computer, and a small printer. Perhaps you may have wondered who he is and what he is doing here. Certainly, he is too old to be a student – a student here, at Idyllwild Arts Academy, that is, for one is never too old to be a student.
Weird. He looks weird. He knows that. It doesn’t bother him anymore. He is rewriting the history he wrote in 1982 entitled, ISOMATA: The Place and its People. Often, he sees you walking in the hallway on your way into the library or the computer classroom.
He assumes you may have seen the portrait of the man and woman hanging in the hall. Obviously, they are a couple. He wonders if you have really noticed them and if you know who they are. They are Max and Bee Krone, founders of ISOMATA, now known as Idyllwild Arts and Idyllwild Arts Academy. Their portrait was painted by Dot Lewis in 2000. Dot painted them well because she knew them well. That is why they are smiling. Do you have any idea why they are smiling?
They are smiling because you, the students are here. There were not always Idyllwild Arts Academy students. Once upon a time before you or your parents were born, Max and Bee started this place. This “place” was not called Idyllwild Arts then. It was called ISOMATA, and it was not an academy at all but a summer program similar to the one that still exists. In its most mundane sense, ISOMATA is an acronym for Idyllwild School Of Music And The Arts but in the profundity of its spirit, a mantra to the arts spoken with joy by those who founded it, those who taught, and those who came, transcending the fear to sing, to dance, to act, to sculpt, to write a poem and recite it, to create a film, to DO art with the courage that the time taken to create your personal vision will indeed be worth another’s time to witness it.
But you know this already because you are artists. Max and Bee knew that someday you would come and continue to fulfill their vision.
Thank you for doing that.
Museum Classroom
As you all know, Steve Hudson is a gifted storyteller and lecturer. Recently he gave one of his unique art lectures on High Renaissance to Nick Cooper’s class, here in the museum. A laptop and portable screen were brought in to show slides. Because the museum is an inspiring place to hold a classroom lecture, the list of requests is growing. In fact, poet David St. John chooses to hold his two week Summer Program poetry classes in the museum each year. Just give me a call at extension 2325, and I will be happy to put you on the calendar. On another note, I am happy to say that several students have also come in to the museum to research their projects this year. The museum is yours, so use it.
A Note to Teachers
On the same topic, I recently polled teachers to learn how they might envision using the museum space in the days to come. Their responses were quite creative. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who responded; and encourage those who did not have a chance, to do so at anytime. Personally, I do not envision the Krone Museum as being a static room. Instead, I see it as a bridge connecting the past with the present, and as a space that will continue to evolve to meet the needs of Idyllwild Arts teachers, students and staff.
The results of my query showed that many of you wanted to access more information about the history of the school and the area; to view historical photographs and films of former teachers and students; and access Painting’s Edge” lectures and other CD’s, and DVD’s that we have in our collections. Other teachers wanted a place to display works from their classes or have an exhibit relating to their subject; and still more wanted more tables, lamps, and wireless access in the exhibit area. My response is that we can do all of these things. For those of you who want historical information, you should know that a Timeline is being developed for the museum web page and for the museum; historical materials are being archived for easier access; photographs are being scanned; and films, videos and audio tapes are being re-formatted. For others, display cases are available (in both the hall and museum); and wireless is accessible, with your password. I invite you to come in and spend a little time to find out what we have to offer. If nothing else, the museum is a quiet place to grade your papers; meet with a student; read a book in peace or just be still and contemplate the works of teachers who came before you.
Adventures with Sara
For those of you who are following Sara and her adventures in Europe, she recently wrote me that the past few weeks have been a blur. She has been traveling all over Europe and has hardly had a chance to breathe. Sara is returning to the states in January, so understandably she is trying to absorb as much as possible before then. Since her recent email was seven pages long, I will break it into segments in this and future entries. I can tell you I am exhausted after reading it, and I haven’t left my chair. Here goes …
Dear Sydney,
I’m sorry I haven’t written in so long. I’ve been so busy (as you know) working and traveling. Right now I’m on a train to Prague from Brno and writing so I can procrastinate a little longer on reading The Secret Agent for my Anarchy Lit class. I’ve been going all over Europe the last few weeks and will continue to do so until I leave in the beginning of January to go back to Long Beach, then straight to Pennsylvania for the start of the second semester.
I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the Czech Republic. Just looking out of the bus window makes me incredibly happy to be alive, especially with good music in the background (right now I’m listening to Elephant Gun by Beirut on repeat, and it is the perfect soundtrack for this journey). I know that must sound cheesy, but it feels like I’m waking up from some dream of disillusion and unattachment. If I get into terrible situations, I could never regret it because at least something is happening, and I’ll make good stories out of it anyway.
That would lead to a good segway to my worst story (might as well get it out of the way) which happened in London a few weeks ago. I decided to go to the UK for eight days a while ago to check it out and see some of my favorite museums. Like I said before, my favorite museum is Tate Modern (until I went to Tate Liverpool, that is) and I actually did my final research paper on it last year in my Museum Studies class. I wanted to return to see if I still loved it as much. At first I thought about spending the whole time in London, but thought it would be a waste to only see one city, especially since I would be missing a week of classes. Luckily, my old roommate from Idyllwild, Isabel Ellison, had a theater show that would be playing there, so I would go to see her too. Then I would spend Halloween with a friend in Romford (a small city outside of London) then travel to Liverpool and visit the museum there as well as Cody Oyama who just graduated from Idyllwild. A few of my friends from Juniata College are studying in York, so I would spend a night there before going back to London to fly out in the morning. I was extremely excited to get my trip started.
The first few days were horrible. Like, nightmarishly horrible. Let me say this as a precursor: this was my first time traveling so far away (excluding the places I’ve been studying) and it was my first time traveling alone. I was entirely under prepared. I procrastinated too much on everything and nearly missed my trains to Bratislava where I would fly to London-Stansted because I was busy getting my plans settled. When I got to the airport, I had 10kg over in my luggage and had to throw out a few liters of beer I was smuggling to my Couchsurfing host in Liverpool as well as a few other things. When I finally got to London I took a long bus ride to somewhere near my hostel. They dropped me off at a random street sort of close to King’s Cross. I had no map and no idea what to do. It was also past 1am. I wandered up and down the streets trying to find my hostel or a bus that could take me there, but besides Brno, I still had never really used public transportation and I can barely read a map. After about thirty minutes of wandering with a huge suitcase, I gave up and hailed a taxi (for my first time ever). The taxi driver had never heard of my hostel. I told him to take me to Kings Cross and I would try to figure it out from there. After about five minutes of driving, he turned back to me at a red light and said, “Oh! Clink78? Did that used to be a prison?” Little did I know, yes. I was staying in a prison for the night. A redecorated, totally hipster prison, but a prison nonetheless. That was my first night.
Check back next month for Sara’s next day’s adventure……
On a sad note…we recently learned that Irv “Kersh” Kershner has passed away. You may recognize him as director of the first sequel to “Star Wars” and later, “The Empire Strikes Back.” What you may not know is that he and Bob Krone, son of Max Krone, built the first photography lab on the ISOMATA campus and that in 1951; Irv became the first professional photographer on the ISOMATA faculty. We are grateful that Irv made a special point to visit the museum in August, during the Lora Steere Retrospect. Irv will always be remembered for his exquisite photography.
Bill’s Asia Travelogue 2010
Greetings from the President of Idyllwild Arts. The Summer Program of 2010 and the Arts Academy school year of 2010-11 will be my final year as President of this wonderful institution. I have enjoyed many extraordinary experiences as the founder of Idyllwild Arts Academy and wish to share some thoughts with you about the international students and families that make up an important part of our community.
Each year since the initial year of IAA (1986-7) I have traveled to Asia to recruit students for the Academy, make connections with young people’s arts programs and visit the families of current students. The trips scheduled for October 24 to November 8 of 2010 would seem to be no different, except for the fact that it be my last, and therefore, is fraught with memories of all the years.
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I met Director of Special Events, Theresa Teel, Director of Parent and Alumni Relations Alison Yates, and Dean of Admission/Financial Aid Marek Pramuka in Tokyo for the initial stop. Japan was a new global economic power in the 1980s and almost immediately its affluent parents sought a more flexible and supportive education for their children as well as access to the remarkable system of American higher education. My wife, Carolyn and I visited Japan in 1987 as guests of Masaru Kurahashi and his company, International Student Advisors. We were fascinated by the country’s culture, its people and traditions. Immediately young artists from Japan enrolled at the Academy and we were thrust into the role of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), dealing with different cultures in an American boarding school, and serving as substitute parents for children from far lands. Carolyn eventually became a full time ESL teacher and the Chair of the ESL Department for many years at the Academy. She served as a second mother to many of the international students when they first arrived at IAA. Over the years these Japanese students and their families have become good friends. So, it was with great joy that I recognized our alumni in Tokyo. Rui Inaba Visual Art ’96 and Aguri Ishimori, Visual Art ’97 brought their young son and showed photos of their new jewelry work in their online business. Rui studied at the Boston Museum School and Aguri at RISD. Reiko Natsukawa, Visual Art ‘01 helped to organize the dinner and works now for Audi Japan. When our staff informed Reiko that I was retiring she blurted out, “…but he is our forever master!” (The staff has been using the title ever since!) Sho Ikushima, Dance ‘04 was dancing in New York and Amsterdam after graduating from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and recently returned home to Japan. His brother Youki Iksuhima, Theatre ‘04 is acting in Tokyo. Marisa Hamamoto, Dance ‘99 went straight to a dance company after IAA and later graduated from TAMA College of Art in Tokyo. She is dancing in Japan after a childhood in California. We told stories, exchanged gifts, expanded memories and caught up on all our friends. I had great fun signing and distributing the 25th anniversary t-shirts with my likeness on the front.
The next morning we traveled by plane to Seoul, South Korea for a four day visit with our wonderful Korean families. The Korean parents’ dinner was well attended and our trustee, Jae Sub Chung, explained many things to the 29 people present. The Korean mothers will meet regularly with his wife and he and the fathers are planning a golf outing. IA has two Korean trustees and is in the process of selecting more as students graduate. It is always a pleasure to see the parents looking joyfully at the framed photos of their children that we bring to the dinner. When they introduce themselves, they hold up the photo to explain who they are! After the dinner I met personally with Michal Emanovsky, Music ’97, who is associate principal horn with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Michal was a young Czech musician who came to IAA with support from the Charter 77 Foundation and our scholarship fund. After college at the Curtis Institute of Music and graduate school at the Juilliard School, he was selected to be an orchestra member in Seoul. Go Eun Kim, Visual Art ’97 also attended. She is working to develop the Korean global healthcare industry. It was wonderful to see them and to think of all the outstanding Korean students who have attended IAA. We spent the next four days meeting with current parents. Special dinners were hosted by Mrs. Jung Soon Lee, mother of Jim Bum, Visual Art ‘10 and Mr. Young Jun Park, father of Hyo Been, Visual Art ‘09. Mr. Park is a member of the Board of Governors and has become a close personal friend over the years of our work in Korea. Our Korean graduates are key leaders at the Seoul Arts Center, artists leading fashion and design industries, owner of Kukje Gallery and performers or administrators in the classical music scene. They represent the quality of study they have accomplished at Idyllwild Arts Academy. During the trip I was working out in the gym at our hotel and a smiling young man introduced himself as Tae Ho Park, Interdisciplinary Arts, Class of 2002. He was surprised to see me! He graduated from University of Michigan in Performing Art Technology; both music composition and sound engineering. He is currently serving his obligatory term in the army while he learns Chinese and Japanese, composes music and prepares to be one of those who take the new field of games and gaming from a technical enterprise to the level of an art form. We had a great discussion and visit and I was able to listen to a number of his compositions. Memories of Seoul will be with me forever. My latest vision is of Mr. Kyungro Lee, of the Seoul Language Institute bowing to me in farewell as we parted the final evening of my visit. It was a gesture of thanks and mutual respect.
After four busy days, we boarded the plane for the flight to Beijing, China where we hosted a parent dinner that evening. In China, we met with 15 parents to discuss the school year and all aspects of our program. It was a lovely event emphasizing the extraordinary growth of enrollments from China. We have always had a small enrollment of musicians but it expanded quickly this year to 34 students as Chinese families focus on obtaining a US and international education for their children to face the new world. The parents were especially interested in the careers of our early Chinese graduates who are in such roles as principal oboe of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, performing pianist who was a medal winner in Tchaikovsky competition, principal cellist in the San Diego Symphony, violist in the Detroit Symphony and many, many more. One of the pleasant outcomes of 25 years of history is the ability to point out how our students are doing in their careers in the world of the arts. The next day, I met with Linda Donahue, Minister-Counselor for Consular Affairs at the US embassy in Beijing to reaffirm our interest in qualified Chinese applicants and to discuss the student visa process. She was very gracious about the application process and our school’s reputation as well as enjoying the alumni materials. We both discussed the difficulties inherent in student visa regulations due to laws enacted following the 9-11 disasters in the US. We also discussed the IAA graduates who were working in China or both China and the US.
The next two days were in Shanghai, China where the city had just completed the closing ceremony for the international exposition. We hosted a lovely parent dinner in our hotel near the Bund in this historic city and answered all questions. Many of these parents were new to the US and IAA so we had long discussions about communications, college admission and other important matters. I was thrilled and surprised to receive a beautiful plaque celebrating my 25 years and upcoming retirement from one of the parents. It was a pleasant and helpful evening. Theresa, Alison and I strolled along the Bund at sunset the other evening in Shanghai. To our surprise and amusement, a number of Chinese rushed up to be photographed with us. I suggested that it was the tall and large, white bearded President who attracted them, but no—it was the beautiful red headed and blond ladies in my company that seemed to be the objects of interest! What a different experience it was to be in a prospering and developing China where internationalization is coming to the fore. My early memories of working with the most talented Chinese students were of clandestine auditions held in hotel rooms and out of the way spots. We also had to deal with denials of visas from the Chinese government and from the US government. In those days, students were dismissed from their Chinese schools because they dared apply to a school in the US and faced really difficult problems. Now, the entire process seems to more open and the opportunities endless for these remarkable young artists.
The next short flight set down in Taipei, Taiwan for a whirlwind visit. Taiwan was the second country to send students to IAA at just about the same time as the initial Japanese students in the late 1980s. A Chinese musician and entrepreneur named Young Kai Chang met our horn instructor, Kurt Snyder, and came to visit the school. What followed from this long-term friendship was the enrollment of many talented music students from Taiwan. They form a solid core of our alumni in such roles as Professor of Viola (and International Concert Artist) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, adjunct faculty at the University of Southern California and the Colburn Conservatory of Music, principal viola and viola section member of the Taiwan National Symphony, bassoonist and horn in the second symphony in Taiwan, percussionist in Taiwan and the US, horn in the San Diego Symphony and on and on. Seven parents of our 15 families came to dinner and we enjoyed a lovely evening of discussion and information. We now have Taiwanese students in film, visual art and interdisciplinary arts as well as music and dance. On one of our two days in Taipei, two sets of parents took the three of us to the newly re-designed Palace Museum of Fine Art which contains an amazing collection of artistic treasures from China. Prior to the tour, we lunched at the famous Silks Road Restaurant. After all the years I spent holding auditions, driving and flying all over the island, it was quite emotional to say goodbye. Perhaps the best place would be amidst the visual treasures of Chinese culture in that amazing museum.
The last two days of our trip were in Hong Kong. This city has been a source of talented students over the years and we enjoyed a dinner with two sets of current parents. Hong Kong is always a fascinating city with its own culture, but my initial memory of visiting there was to make contact with arts organizations and arts educators in the late 1980s. Richard Richardson (former Chief of Security during the years HK was a British colony was then the Director of Development at Idyllwild) and his lovely wife Barbara hosted Carolyn and me in the city. It so happened that our earliest major benefactors, Dr. and Mrs. Richard MacNeal were making a ocean going tour on the Queen Elizabeth II at the same time. They docked in Hong Kong to find the Lowmans and Richardsons waving from the dock. We dined and toured and planned for the future—-but none of us knew how extraordinary Idyllwild Arts Academy would become. We only hoped. When I think of how much has been accomplished in helping young artists to achieve their dreams and enriching the world by educating its new generations of artistic leaders, this place in the world and the people involved become the most pleasant of memories.
Bill Lowman, President
Idyllwild Arts
